Wonder why you are obsessed with food? Why you think about it constantly? Don’t worry, you are not the only one. Think about our ancient ancestors and what they had to do in order to survive? Their entire existence was about shelter and food and water. Nothing else mattered. Almost all of their activities were geared around food; as well as their rites of passage. Where they lived (cave, hut, modest homestead) was relevant to where the food was. The men would go out and hunt/fish in groups and the women would study plants and harvest/forage them to balance out their nutrition. It was hard and sometimes dangerous work! You had to be “cognitive” or you could wind up eating the wrong berries, poisoning your tribe or mauled by a ferocious boar. You had to think ahead towards the seasons and what food would be available. You had to know how to conserve, preserve and store your food...like all animals do.

Makes sense that we are both “cultured” to think about nutrition/food and genetically inclined ~because our very survival depended on it!

Now fast forward to modern day times. We are probably no more than 40 feet away from food at any given moment. Through evolution we have made it simpler, easier, and “safer” (one could argue against that) to provide food for our families. We no longer have to plan weeks in advance for a hunt, follow the herd, know when the salmon will spawn, wait for harvest season... we just have to get in our car and drive 3 blocks to the grocery store where we can find ANYTHING we need. There is no more feast or famine...it is just feast, feast, feast.

So herein lies the challenge we face. We are still programmed to think about food ALL THE TIME...but since we no longer have to go to the extremes of hunting and gathering...we have lost that necessary balance. Most of us aren’t tucked away in our furs when the sun goes down, exhausted from a day of HARD labour; and up at the crack of dawn ready for another marathon. We don’t have to chase after our food or walk 3 days looking for herbs, plants, and berries. We don’t utilize every calorie we consume.

In addition to our genetics, food is actually manufactured to be “addictive” with the refined sugar (addictive) and refined flour (addictive) and don’t forget the high-fructose corn syrup (super addictive); so that now not only do we think about food all the time (normal) but we now physically crave those highly processed food like products. Oh, and just in case you forget how addicted you are...television advertisements will remind you at 10:00pm...just as you are ready to nod off...that you haven’t fed your addiction for 2 or 3 hours! No wonder we are all out of whack!

You bet...we are obsessed with food.

So stop beating yourself up about it. The obsession will never go away (although we can learn to manage the addiction). Embrace that preoccupation and channel that energy in a positive way and think about food differently. If you are going to think about it constantly anyway, be cognitive about where your food comes from; READ LABELS; what ARE those ingredients anyway; how does your body respond to different foods; what do you need to eat in order to thrive; how can you start to prepare your food in a healthier, tastier way? LEARN, QUESTION, DISCOVER...and then TEACH your children to do the same. Think of it as modern day foraging.

Don’t stop thinking about food...it goes against your nature and it is an impossible task...but rather adjust your focus. It is called "mindful eating". (Sounds nicer than obsession, doesn't it?)

I appreciate that life is busy; maybe you don’t have time for all that...but you don’t have time for illness either. If you are already suffering from ailments, it is an even better reason to be mindful.

We must eat; nutrition is essential to life.

...you get to decide the quality of that life.

Live Well,

Jen

“Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” ~Buddha